Improvement in combined letter-sheet and envelope



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L. H. ROGERS. Combined Letter-Sheet and Envelope.

No. 202,874. Patent d April 23,1878.

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L. H. ROGERS. Combined Letter-Sheet and Envelope.

No. 202,874. Patented April 23, I878.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEBBEUS H. ROGERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN COMBINED LETTER-SHEET AND ENVELOPE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 202,874, dated April23, 1578; application filed January 14, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEBBEUs H. ROGERS, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Letter- SheetEnvelopes, which improvements are fully set forth in the followingspecification.

My invention relates to the construction and arrangement of letter-sheetenvelopes-that is to say, of writing-paper so formed that it shallcomprise in one piece the letter-sheet and the envelope, with whichlatter are combined means for sealing and opening the same. Suchletter-sheet envelope, in its simplest form, has been shown anddescribed in Letters Patent issued to Charles Foster on the 6th day ofFebruary, 1872, and, in an improved form, in

Letters Patent issued to R. W. Barnes on the 28th day of December, 1875.My invention therefore relates more particularly to lettersheetenvelopes of which the patents referred to may be said to be the types.

Actual experience with and use of such letter-sheet envelopes hassuggested certain important improvements, which are made the subject ofthe present Letters Patent.

First, letter-sheet envelopes of this kind are used mostly for shortbusiness-notes, such as statements of account or bills, notices ofintention to draw, of freight by railroads, of corporation and othermeetings, and for many other purposes in which expedition and dispatchare of the utmost importance. The usual method of writing such noticesis to head the letter with the date, and then the name and address ofthe party to whom it is directed, and then follows the subject-matter ofthe letter, and then the signature. The sheet thus written is thenfolded, and upon the part constituting the envelope the name and addressof the party to whom the letter is addressed is again written. This, itwill be seen, involves a double addressing of the letter, which takes agreat deal of time and trouble.

Second, in letter-sheet envelopes as heretofore constructed, themucilage upon the sealing-flaps is on the face side of the letter-sheet.This has rendered it impossible to take, by the ordinary means, copiesof letters or notices written upon such sheets with copying-ink orcopying-pencils, either of which requires the transfer-sheet tobemoistened.

The object of my said invention, therefore, is

twofoldfirst, to dispense with the double address, and, second, to allowof the writing upon such letter-sheet envelopes to be copied.

To this end my invention consists, first, in a letter-sheet envelopewith divisions, indicated by folding-lines or folding-line indications,one of the two head-divisions containing on the face side of theletter-sheet, and as the heading thereof, indications for writing thename and address, the folding or foldingline indications and gummingbeing such as that when closed the heading of the letter will become theaddress of the envelope; secondly, in a letter-sheet envelope havingfolding-lines or folding-line indications, so that the outside of theenvelope shall be on the face side of the letter-sheet, allowing thesealing-flaps to be gummed on the rear side, whereby written matter uponthe face side of said letter-sheet may be copied upon any suitable sheetof paper which may have been subjected to a dampening process.

Another modification consists in omitting the sealing-flap on one sideof one of the two head-divisions, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

It will be understood that the sheet is folded in the same manner asthat shown in Fig. 2, with this exception, that the sealing-flaps a areturned over onto the folded sheet.

The advantage derived by this mode of construction of letter-sheetenvelopes over that shown in Fig. 1 is this, that to open the sealedletter three distinct operations are necessary-- namely, the tearing offof the sealing-flap on one side, the tearing off of the sealing-flap onthe opposite side, and the severing of the letter-sheet from the topsealing-flap-whereas by the last-named construction only onesealing-flap is torn off, and by then inserting the finger both theopposite and upper sealingflaps may be severed from the letter-sheet atone operation.

Another modification consists in omitting the side lines of perforationson one of the two head-divisions-preferably on the second, as shown inFig. 8. After the envelope thus made is sealed, the paper is doubled andstrengthened where the sealing-flaps come together, and are united intoone, with the exception along the line of perforations, where the paperis materially weakened, and where, therefore, it can be readily torn andseparated from the sheet.

To enable others to make and use my said invention, I shall now proceedto describe the same, and the manner in which it is or maybe carriedinto effect, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, in which-Figure 1 represents a face view of a lettersheet made in accordance withmy invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same seen from therear or back side, and showing the manner in which the same is folded.Fig. 3 represents the letter-sheet envelope closed; and Fig. 4 is a faceview of the letter after it shall have been received. and opened by theeorrespondent-that is to say, with the sealing-flaps removed. Fig. 5 isa modification of the letter-sheet envelope, but made also in accordancewith my said invention.

In said figures the letter-sheet envelope is shown to consist of aquadrangular sheet of paper, divided into four sections or divisions, A,B, O, and D. The two first named I call the head-divisions, and they maybe a trifle larger in depth than the other two divisions; but I preferto make them all of precisely the same dimensions. The divisions may bemade by a crease, a tuck, or corrugation or fold, or by dotted linesprinted or punctured by printed verbal instructions or otherwise, but sothat divisions A and B shall fold together back to back, while divisionsO and D shall fold together face to face, and divisions B and 0 againfolded back to back.

On the second division B are printed or otherwise shown indications forthe postagestamp, and for the heading or the name and address of thecorrespondent. On the head division A, I prefer to have a lineindicating the place where the date of the letter is to be written; butthis I do not deem essential, except for copying purposes, inasmuch asthe letter being sent through the post-ofiice is duly stamped, bearingthe mark of the sending post-office and the date. Divisions (J and D maybe ruled or have other indications-such as Mr. or Dear Sir -for theguidance of the letter-writer; but these may be dispensed wlth, asinstructions for the proper use of the letter-sheet envelopes areproposed to be contained in each package. Surrounding the head-divisionsare narrow sealing-flaps a a a 1) b These strips of paper are merecontinuations of the sheet itself, but separated therefrom by the linesof perforations c c c and 0 0 These narrow strips are gummed on theirbacks, as shown in Fig. 2.

Mere inspection of the drawing, with what has preceded, will sufiice toa perfect understanding of the operation but it may be necessary to saythat when the letter is written the sheet is first folded in two on line0 c -that is, back to back. This double sheet is then folded in two, soas to bring U and D together face to face. Before this last operation,however, the gummed side of the sealing-flaps is moistened. The foldingtogether of the letter-sheet, as described, will then seal the letter atthe sides.

To entirely close and seal the letter, the sealingflap a is moistenedand turned down or over onto the face of division B. The letter is thenready to be mailed. The receiver of the letter will successively tearoff the sealing-flaps b I), then with his finger penetrate the interiorof the letter, and, foreing it against the perforated edge 0 0 open italong this line of perforations, and when thus unfolded the sheet willpresent the appearance shown in Fig. 4, in which condition a perfectletter, with all the headings, postmarks, dates, and contents, &c., onthe face of it, may be filed away for future reference.

This my invention is susceptible of modifications, of which I shallindicate but few. In-

stead of gumming both sealing-flaps a a and b 11*, either may be gummed.In other words,

it is only necessary to gum 'one of the two flaps which are designed tocome together.

Instead of four divisions, as shown in Fig. 1, and for short notes,division D may be omitted or an additional division may be made, asshown in Fig. 5, of the same sheet of paper, by first folding I againstH, then II and I against G, then folding the triple sheet into thehead-divisions, as described with reference to Fig.1; or, as a moreconvenient mode, the whole letter-sheet envelope is folded first onlines 1 2, back to back; then division I is folded down on line 3 4,face to face; then I and II are folded down on lines 5 6 on G- that is,back of I on face of G; then division A is folded down on line 7 8, backto back on H, when it may be scaled, as before described.

Having described my said invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-- 1. A letter-sheet envelope having divisionsmarked by folding-lines or folding-line indications, one of the twohead-divisions containing on the face side of the letter-sheet, and asthe heading thereof, indications for writing the name and address, andthe folding or folding-line indications and gumming being such asdescribed, so that when closed the heading of the letter will become theaddress of the envelope, substantially as herein shown and set forth.

A letter-sheet envelope having foldinglines or folding-line indications,so that the outside of the envelope shall be on the face side of theletter-sheet, allowing the sealingflaps to be gunnned on the rear side,whereby written matter upon the face side of said lettersheet may becopied upon any suitable sheet of paper which may have been subjected toa dampening process, substantially as herein shown and set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

LEBBEUS H. ROGERS. \Vitnesses:

M. M. BUDLONG, CHARLES CHAMBERS.

